


grits and bear it

by youngerdrgrey



Category: Queen Sugar (TV)
Genre: 30 x 31 Writing Challenges, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-31
Updated: 2017-01-31
Packaged: 2018-09-21 01:56:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9526790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youngerdrgrey/pseuds/youngerdrgrey
Summary: When it comes to dishes, Blue tells Ralph Angel, "You wash. I dry. Mommy puts them away. That's the rules."





	

**Author's Note:**

> **written for** day 24 of 30 x 31 writing challenge; **prompt:** camping

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****.

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He scrubs at Blue's grits bowl from earlier. Didn't matter how many times he told the boy, Blue never filled 'em up all the way. One of these days, Ralph Angel would leave Blue to do it. Make him eat out of the still lumpy bowl instead of letting him use something else. But for now, he could scrub and scrape. Just until Blue's a little older, a little more responsible.

"Pop!" Blue waves his dishrag like a checkered flag. "Look, it's like a race. We can race now."

Ralph Angel grins over. "Race at what? You gon' wash one of these?"

Blue shakes his head quick. "Nope. You wash. I dry. Mommy puts them away. That's the rules."

Ralph Angel pauses. "Mommy doesn't always put them up. She's not even here like that."

"She's here all the time, Pop. She almost lives here." Blue waves the rag again. "But I meant a real race, and you'll give me a head start because I'm smaller than you. And if you don't, then you're cheating."

And Ralph Angel hears all that, really he does, but he also has to play back just how often Darla's been at the house. Sure she takes Blue to school most days now. And she spends the night sometimes to make it easier on her gas. She brought over some food the other day, just some steaks and potatoes so they could be fancy for the night. But she doesn't live here with them. She's got her own place, and she and he and Blue are not a family. Not like that. Not really.

But Ralph Angel hasn't put dishes up himself in over a month. Hasn't gone more than a few days without hearing Darla and Blue whispering off in a corner together, or seen them running back through with mud on their shoes. He'd always laugh when they did, throw up his balled fist like his dad used to do and complain about them messing up his sugar cane. Maybe they were becoming like a family again. Maybe they could be the type that his parents never got to be.

Blue snaps in his face. Loud and so close that the tiny fingers might steal off a few eyelashes. Ralph Angel tries ducking away, and Blue giggles and keeps on snapping.

"Let's race, Pop! The dishes aren't going anywhere!"

"How about you start running and I'll find you once I get this bowl done? First one to the tractor wins?"

Blue bounces on the chair he's stood up on. "Wins what? I want to win... a whole day with no farming for anyone. We'll go camping!"

That's what Blue wants? "Well, start running. I'll see what I can do."

Blue beams up at him before hopping down and running as fast as he can towards the front door. Ra sets the bowl down and dries his hands on the abandoned rag. Grabs his phone.

> _To Darla // 6:19pm  
> _ **Ralph Angel:**  Blue wants a day off from farming. Think you could join us?

If they're a family, they might as well lean into it. Give their boy something to smile about.

/


End file.
